GE, 3M and others get U.S. funds for PV-linked projects

By IBT Staff Reporter On 06/11/09 AT 5:56 PM

General Electric, 3M, DuPont and twenty one other companies were given the green light by the U.S. government for up to $22 million worth in investments for projects with the potential to impact the photovoltaic (PV) solar industry within two to six years, the Department of Energy announced Thursday.

Non-solar companies have many technologies and practices that are beneficial to the PV industry ... that can be used in PV-specific manufacturing methods and products, said the Department of Energy in a statement unveiling the awarded projects.

The cost reduction as a result of these improvements might be small in terms of a single product or processing step, however the overall impact of these ideas become significant when implemented across the PV industry, the department stated.